What is God? Can Science Point to God?

Bonus: Can Science Point to God?

Some people think faith and science are natural enemies. One seeks truth by reason, the other by belief. One works in the lab, the other in the pew. But this is a false division. The truth is, faith and science are partners—and when rightly understood, they point in the same direction.

Aquinas believed that truth is one. Whatever is true in nature cannot contradict what is true in revelation, because both come from the same source—God. And while science cannot prove God's existence the way it proves gravity (fun side note: there are alternative theories to gravity, too!), it raises questions that reason can explore—and those questions often point beyond the material world.

Let’s look at some examples.

1. The Beginning of the Universe

Modern cosmology teaches that the universe had a beginning. Everything—space, time, matter, and energy—came into being around 13.8 billion years ago in what we call the Big Bang.

But here’s the thing: nothing can cause itself to exist. Everything that begins must have a cause outside of itself.

The universe includes all space and time. So whatever caused it cannot be spatial or temporal. The cause must be outside of space and time—something non-material, eternal, and powerful. In other words, the kind of thing we call God.

2. Entropy and the Problem of Infinite Age

The second law of thermodynamics tells us that in a closed system, entropy always increases. That means ordered systems move toward disorder unless energy is added from outside.

If the universe had no beginning—if it had existed eternally—it would have reached maximum entropy long ago. But it hasn’t. There is still usable energy. Stars still shine. Life is still possible.

This implies a beginning. And a beginning requires a cause. Entropy supports the idea that the universe is not eternal, and therefore points toward a Creator who is not bound by time.

3. Fine-Tuning in the Universe

Many scientists have noted that the universe appears finely tuned for life. Physical constants—like the gravitational force, the charge of the electron, or the cosmological constant—are set with incredible precision.

If any of these values were even slightly different, the universe would not support life. Planets wouldn’t form. Stars wouldn’t burn. Chemistry wouldn’t work.

One famous example:

The cosmological constant, which affects the expansion of the universe, is fine-tuned to about 1 part in 10^120.

That’s not 120 decimal places. It’s one chance in a number so large it defies comprehension.

How Big Is 1 in 10¹²⁰?

• That number—a 1 followed by 120 zeros—is far greater than the number of atoms in the entire observable universe, which is estimated at around 10^80.

• It’s like aiming at a single subatomic particle hidden somewhere in a universe-sized haystack—and hitting it on the first try, without even knowing where to look.

• Or imagine mashing random keys on a keyboard for 10^120 lifetimes and accidentally typing one grammatically correct sentence. The odds are astronomically small.

This kind of precision is not something we usually associate with blind chance. At some point, the most reasonable explanation is not randomness or necessity, but intention.

There are three main explanations for this fine-tuning:

• Chance – We just got lucky. But that’s not much of an explanation. The odds are so astronomically small that many scientists admit this stretches belief.

• Necessity – Maybe the universe had to be this way. But no physical law demands these constants be what they are.

• Design – The universe was chosen and arranged with life in mind. This hypothesis fits the data and explains the apparent precision.

Design does not prove God directly. But it gives us strong reason to think that intelligence lies behind the order we see.

4. Order and Rationality

Science depends on something we often take for granted: the universe is orderly and intelligible.

Why should the universe follow laws? Why should the human mind be capable of understanding it?

There is no scientific explanation for this—it is a philosophical assumption beneath all scientific reasoning. The Christian tradition answers: the universe is rational because it was made by a rational Mind. And our minds can understand it because we are made in the image of that Mind.

5. Life, Consciousness, and Morality

There are other features of the universe that science can observe but not fully explain:

• The origin of life from non-life

• The emergence of consciousness

• The universal human sense of morality

These are not just gaps in current knowledge. They raise fundamental questions:What makes life meaningful?Why do we care about good and evil?What makes you you?

Science can describe what happens. But it cannot say why it matters. These are questions of value, purpose, and soul. They point to something more.

Science Raises the Right Questions

Science is not the enemy of faith. In fact, it can be one of its best allies. Why?

Because science is a search for order. It reveals how the universe works and, in doing so, invites us to ask why it works at all. Science leads us to wonder. And wonder opens the door to worship.

Aquinas would say that what science studies are God’s effects. And by meditating on effects, we can reason back to their cause.

Conclusion: God Is Not in the Gaps—He Is the Ground

Some accuse believers of using God to fill in the gaps of scientific knowledge. But the goal of theology is not to plug holes. It is to ask deeper questions—not “how does this work?” but “why is there anything to work with at all?”

God is not in the gaps. He is the ground of all that exists. He is the One in whom order, beauty, reason, and life find their source.

Modern science cannot disprove God. On the contrary, when followed with humility, it often opens our eyes to His presence.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”(Psalm 19:1)